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yosheeck

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  1. Hi, That's my first post on this forum, I hope you'll enjoy it. Years ago, I've read a book, containing a number of short stories (collection of novels/stories). I was then like 12, maybe 15. I'm now 35 ! So it was 20 years ago ! I still remember the best story from that book and I want to find it (the title or author of that story) - obviously I'm trying google-ing, wiki, etc. for long time and I have no clue how to get to it... The good thing is, I remember the main plot of the story, and I remember some random details. The bad thing is, it was so long ago, that I can't trust my mind to be sure of anything. It may be a case, that some details in my memory are just wrong, or maybe mixing with another story I have read at that time... I don't know... And I'm asking anyone who may help - to let me find it... So, the points I remember (and please assume some of those my be wrong or misguididng): The plot: - there was The Simple Guy living in a small vilage in the middle of nowhere (I think maybe rural India, or some jungle areas in South America), but next to significant amount of big-grown plants (jungle ?) - timing is like ending of 1800's or early 1900's - that Simple Guy was doing some manual job for a living. He was probably making baskets, but I'm not sure. This was something artistic a bit, something that looks beautiful and involves a lot of manual effort for every piece of his work. The thing was made with colors - he was looking for particular herbs to make his paint/dye. One important detail I remember - he harvested one of his most precious dye's only in some special NIGHTS of a month - something related to the herb/plant blossoming only when the moon is full and only in the middle of the night. - then there was a Bussiness guy - the typical new-world bussiness guy (I think from UK or US, but not sure). He met the Simple Guy accidently - he was at that location looking for something completely different. Actualy, he probably just found the item's made by The Simple Guy in some local market and then he traced The Simple Guy. - The Bussiness Guy buys a number of baskets (let's say 10) - for some small cash (let's say 5$ each) from The Simple Guy and goes home. There he does the marketing/advertising and sells them for like 50x times the price, obviously earning huge profit. It's because they are all so unique, so beautiful, everyone in his home city (London ? New York ? don't remember) loves them and wants to pay any money to get them - The Bussiness Guy understands it is a golden deal, so he gets lot of orders from his customers and some initial deposits for houndreds of baskets, and then goes back to the place where The Simple Guy lives - The Bussiness Guy asks The Simple Guy: -- can you make me 20 more ? -- yes I can. I'm happy to do it for you. -- What it will cost me then ? -- 5$ each my friend -- Great, what if I want to have 40 of them ? -- 4$ each my friend, as I'm happy I don't need to worry about sales anymore. -- Great, what if I want to have 200 of them ? -- I can do it too, my friend -- What will it cost me then ? - asks the Bussiness Guy, thinking in a capitalistic way of mass production, profit margins, cost reduction etc. -- Oh, that will be 20$ each my friend. -- What ? What ? What ? What ? Why ? - and then he explains all about math, mass production and cost reduction per item, blah blah. He's doing all the real-time math on paper (it's around 1900) and the Simple Guy is more interested in how the math is done that quickly (because his education is quite poor), not about the meaning of those numbers. So, the Bussiness Guy says all about percentage, sales margins, expanding production... And asks: -- Do you understand all that ? -- Yes, I do understand now ! Thank you my friend, it shows me I was wrong with my prices ! -- Okey, so how much below the 4$ we can go with your items ? -- Oh no, my friend ! Now I understand I can't sell you any of my baskets for 4$. I'll sell you 100 baskets for $20 each. -- Wait, wait, wait - you didn't understand anything about cost reductions, about the math... -- But I understand it very well... You see - I put my soul in every basket. I collect special herbs for a dye in the middle of the night which happens only once a month. Then I think about the unique pattern, the unique colors, the best things I can imagine for my next and every basket. Then I make it with my own hands - all details are exactly as I imagined them, and totally unique... This makes them perfectly what I want them to be ! -- But the more I order the lower the price should be - because it's now giving you better comfort of sales !!! -- Not exactly my friend. You see, when I do 10 of those, I feel happy. When I do 20 of those - I feel tired, but still kind of happy. You want 100 of those which makes it a challange, a hard work. If you ask me for 200 I'd say I don't want to know you, because you're trying to get to much of my soul from me. I simply can't do it. ... And this is how capitalistic Bussiness Guy lost his money - he went home and reimbursed all of his customers. So, this is how I remember main points of the story. As for more non-story details: - I think, I was reading that next to the story called "Rikki Tikki Tavi", which effectively suggests, the whole book may have something to do with Rudyard Kipling. Obviously I tried to find that story in his novels - no luck for now. ... and that's it. Anyone can help ? Anyone reminds anything like this ?
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